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Sunday, July 31, 2016

Creative Nonfiction is working on a project to recognize the work that teachers do. They are hosting an essay contest -- "We're looking for stories from the widest possible variety of perspectives and experiences with the theme 'How We Teach.' "

The winning essay will receive $1,000, and the runner up receives $500; all essays will be considered for publication in a special "How We Teach" issue of the magazine in spring 2017. The deadline for submissions is August 29, 2016

Details of what they're looking for are below. You can find the complete guidelines on their website, here.

How We Teach

For the spring 2017 issue of Creative Nonfiction magazine, we’re looking for original essays about teaching—whether in a traditional classroom or online; in summer camp or college; in preschool or in a prison; in the woods or in a workshop.

We welcome personal stories as well as profiles, and we’re open to a very wide range of experiences and circumstances. Above all, we are looking for narratives—true stories, rich with scene, character, detail, and a distinctive voice—that give insight into what it means to teach.

Wednesday, July 27, 2016

A few weeks ago, I committed to studying to learn about the race issues in our country. I know that many of us have this same goal--to better understand what is happening so that we can work to create change. Over the last few weeks I have read several articles that have helped me in different ways. Some are articles that helped me understand the issues from different perspectives. Others are pieces that help me think about my role in schools and as a teacher. I so appreciate everyone who has written and/or shared pieces thoughtfully and intentionally on social media. I think one thing we can do is to share pieces that we think will help others move forward in their understanding. It is sometimes a bit scary, as we know everyone in our feed may not agree with our stance. But I've decided that I am too committed to working toward change to worry about that anymore. Here are the things that I thought were worth sharing, not necessarily because I agree with them wholeheartedly but because they made me think beyond my current level of understanding.

Tuesday, July 26, 2016

In 2003, Karen Szymusiak and I wrote the book Still Learning to Read (Stenhouse). We believed strongly that children do not stop learning to read after their first few years of school. We have learned, over the course of our teaching, that grades 3-6 are critical years in our students' reading lives--that they have so much more to learn as readers once they've started to make sense of text.

Next month, the 2nd Edition of Still Learning to Read will be released by Stenhouse. So much has changed in the 13 years since we wrote. Although our beliefs about learners remain the same, there are things we have learned and changes we have made to our teaching. We feel that this edition of the book captures our new learning as well as the current issues teachers are dealing.

One thing we know is that we'll never stop learning about readers in grades 3-6. We are fascinated by them and feel grateful to have the opportunity to learn with and from them. This year, I will be teaching 3rd grade again and I know that I will learn new things about transitional readers every day. So in order to continue the conversation around literacy learning in grades 3-6, I will be starting a blog series called "Still Learning to Read: Continuing the Conversation". This series will run every Tuesday beginning August 2. Each week, I'll capture some moment in the classroom--it may be a conversation with a student, a book that we shared, some student work, a chart we created. It will just be a moment that I learned from. This series will help me chronicle my year of learning and to invite you into the conversation.

To celebrate the release of the new book, Karen and I will be hosting a Stenhouse Twitter chat focusing on the First Six Weeks of School. The Twitter chat will be on Monday, August 1 at 8:30. Follow the hashtag #SLTRead for this chat an our yearlong conversation around readers in

grades 3-6.

We are also planning to run a Facebook group so if you are interested in talking about the book with others online, we invite you to join.

Learning about readers in grades 3-6 has been my passion for most of my teaching life. I am excited to be able to expand the conversation and learn more about this incredible stage in a reader's life!

Look for the first post in the series next Tuesday, August 2 . I'll be sharing my process for

Monday, July 25, 2016

I've been reading a lot this summer and have not shared much of my reading on the blog yet. So, for today's It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (Thanks to Jen and Kelly for hosting the roundup!) I thought I'd share some books that I thought were must-reads for different reasons.

Middle Grade Novels

A new book by Patricia MacLachlan. I loved this book--the characters, their stories, the relationships. It appealed to me as an adult reader and think it would be a good read for upper elementary students.

A book told in two voices--one character just moved to a new school from India. Joe, has been at the school his whole life but still feels like he does not belong. A powerful story with lots to talk about.

I love Jason Reynold's YA books and was thrilled to see his new middle grade novel. I loved this book--it is a quieter story but his characters make this book what it is. They will stay with me for a very long time.

I have been looking forward to this book for months, ever since Donalyn Miller recommended it. It is one of the best middle grade/middle school fantasies I've read in a long time. I loved everything about it--the characters, the issues and themes, the plot, the writing.

Friday, July 22, 2016

I have to believe a Beethoven
string quartet is not unlike
the elliptical music of gossip:
one violin excited
to pass its small story along
to the next violin and the next
until, finally, come full circle,
the whole conversation is changed.

Thursday, July 21, 2016

Because I haven't kept up with all of the conversations for the past several weeks, my big take-away is likely redundant:

THIS BOOK IS BRILLIANT.

Summer is winding down. The IDEA of being a teacher again in a few weeks is switching back over to being a REALITY. This book cushioned me as I fell from Summer Mode back into Teacher Mode.

Even though I've been at this gig for decades now, what I love+hate most about it is that every year is new. I never feel like I've got this down pat, like I know where I'll start and exactly how I'll proceed through the year, or like I'm the expert I should be after all this time and practice.

But this book makes me feel like I'm going to do a better job this year than I've ever done before.

At the same time they make me realize that I haven't been doing enough to support learners by even more finely slicing and layering my lessons than I ever thought possible, Kate and Maggie never make me feel like a failure. Instead, their book does for me what my work with it will do for my students -- it will lift me/us to the next level (and the next and the next and the next).

As Franki said in the foreword, "The ideas are sophisticated, but Kate and Maggie make teachers feel like "we can do this!"" They believe that teachers who are readers and writers themselves have at their fingertips the steps and moves that become the strategies that will help each child learn at his/her level. I love this focus on turning inward and accessing what I already know as the expert reader and writer in the classroom. And this book has given me the ways to make my years of experience into clear and concise tools that will bring my learners along with me.

Wednesday, July 20, 2016

I almost couldn't read this book. The tension and conflict from the very beginning nearly did me in. But the language and the characters kept me going. I was not at all surprised to find that Lauren Wolk is a poet.

Maybe this could be a read aloud in 5th grade. It's a hard story, but the stories on the news aren't much better. Perhaps it would give us a safe way to talk about the wolves out there, about honesty, about the choices we make, about how we can't control what happens...but we can try.

Whew. Just thankful that it's summer and I could curl up on the couch for four hours straight and read this all in one gulp. I feel like going right back and rereading it for the beautiful language.

She is the teacher we all want to be. Not exactly her. We don't all need to run out and put a pink stripe in our hair. But we all want to be the ones who really SEE our students; who really HEAR them; who really KNOW them...and make a different difference in each of their lives.

KEEP YOUR EYE OUT FOR THESE

I got a big envelope full of goodies from Enchanted Lion Books last week. Editor Claudia Bedrick does an amazing job bringing international books to the US market. All of these books are coming out this fall, and you'll want to watch for them.

Have You Seen My Trumpet? comes to us from France. Fans of Michaël Escoffier's two other word play books in this series -- TAKE AWAY THE A and WHERE'S THE BABOON? -- will want to check this one out. After a few spreads, readers will get the pattern, but there's still a fun surprise waiting in the end!

First published in France by Belgian author Anne Herbauts, this book explores a myriad of ways to describe wind. Depending on who the blind boy asks for a description, color might be a smell, the sun, or time. Even the book itself is part of the exploration. It is "Created through embossing, debossing, die-cuts, lamination, and a variety of surfaces..." The fact that it's a paperback is also part of the experience of explaining wind.

This is a fascinating book you'll want to get your hands on...literally.

Allesandro Sanna is the Italian author of The River, a visual memoir of his life on Italy's Po River. From Sanna's inspiration for this story, to the gorgeous and mysterious illustrations, this is a book to savor. It gives a new and deeper meaning to the idea of an origin story!

These readers
will live inside the story of city-kids Reena and Luke
learning the small-town farm-kid Mainey life,
learning to get along with old Mrs. Falala,
learning to do things they never imagined they could do
or would do.

The rest of the readers
will watch jealously from the outside,
dreaming of freedom and fog and lobster boats.

All readers
will savor Creech's rich language
poetry
prose poems
words that skip and drip down the page
words that stretch and shout
words that
bellow
and
Moooooooooo.

HERE'S THE ROUNDUP! (moo...)

Robyn at Life on the Deckle Edge is pondering time and change, Amy Lowell and the Lowcountry of SC (plus three hokku).

Sally at Sally Murphy wrote three linked lunes...with a wink and a nod to her post from last week!

Sylvia at Poetry for Children is celebrating TEN YEARS of blogging! As it turns out, this is her 811th post, and we all know which books to find shelved in the library with that number on their spines! How perfect is that? Well, then...811 cheers (or moos) for Sylvia!!

Julianne at To Read To Write To Be shares the connections that led her from a podcast to a beautiful blessing poem by Jane Hirshfield.

Linda B. at TeacherDance has some "wisdom of the ages" for these troubled times.

Time to lie down in the shade. I think the roundup is almost finished.

No, wait! There's more! Irene at Live Your Poem is still up on Cloud Nine after being named the 2016 ILA-Lee Bennett Hopkins Promising Poet! It's the 15th, Irene, not the 8th! Everybody be sure to go over and give Irene another round of congratulations!Claudette at 100 Words a Day shares an original haibun to celebrate (?) her recent hip surgery. How about some cheer(s) for Claudette?!?And Carlie at Twinkling Along slipped in under the wire (West Coast midnight) with a poem about falling in love.

Wednesday, July 13, 2016

Like many teachers across the country, I am struggling to figure out what I can do in my classroom that will lay one small part of the foundation of the nation we want to become -- a nation united by our wealth of differences, rather than continuously divided into groups who spend all their energy on the problem, rather than on finding solutions.

This week, I interacted with children for the first time since school ended in June. The free summer lunch program that's hosted at my school brings together a beautiful mix of children. One boy who is taking part has known behavior issues, and he gave me a chance to practice and model social justice, one small incident at a time. For the sake of this post, I'll call this little guy Joey. Here are three small ways I can have a positive impact in my classroom and in the world around me.

1. LESS FOCUS ON THE PROBLEM, MORE FOCUS ON THE SOLUTION
I was just finishing up with the lunch count when Joey came out of the gym and complained that a boy had thrown a ball at his face. On purpose. Rather than focusing on the problem, I asked Joey what he had done in retaliation (nothing) and praised him for his peaceful solution -- for walking away and coming to get help. We talked about what he would like to do next -- Did he feel safe returning to the gym? Could he play in the gym without coming into contact with this other child? We walked to the gym and saw that he could join the group playing HORSE at the basketball hoop, or he could go into the opposite corner and work on his soccer skills. I left him with a soccer ball and a plan. Hopefully, by valuing his solution over the problem (which, knowing Joey, may or may not have occurred), he has learned that he can get positive attention for making good choices. By the time we identify a problem, it's already in the past. Our reaction to the problem is in the present, and our solution represents future thinking. Let's spend less time admiring problems, and more time on creative and positive solutions.

2. BE PEACE MAKERS AND ROLE MODELS
At lunch, Joey came and told me that other boys were calling him gay. We walked over to his table and I saw that one of our teen volunteers was talking to the other boys about the need to apologize. As soon as we got to the table, voices went up several decibels and fingers were aggressively pointed across the table on both sides. I sat down between the two parties half in and half out of the lunch table bench with my back to Joey, and I framed the situation this way for the older boys, "I can tell that Joey really believes that you called him names. And I am hearing you say that you did not call him names. I don't expect you to apologize for something you didn't do or say, but something happened here to upset Joey, and you have a choice now. You can be a trouble maker or you can be a peace maker. To be a peace maker, you might say something like this: 'I'm sorry you think I said hurtful things. I did not say those things, and I am not the kind of person who would ever say those things. But I can see you're upset and I'm sorry for that.' If you believe in your heart that those are true words, you might try being a peace maker and say them to Joey." The older boy used my words, and then I turned to Joey and said, "Now, I don't expect you to say, 'That's okay,' because your feelings were hurt and that might not be true. But if you wanted to practice being a peace maker, too, you might say, 'Thank you for your apology.' " Joey couldn't quite say those words out loud, but his lips moved and I thanked him for trying on the role of peace maker.

Learning to be a peace maker takes time and practice. It takes role models who are willing to deescalate situations by communicating their own truths and listening to the truths of others with compassion.

3. WHAT'S ON THE INSIDE IS THE IMPORTANT PART
Eventually, the older boys left and it was just me, Joey, and the teen volunteer. Out of the blue, Joey asked, "Why is that boy over there wearing a pink tutu? That's a boy! I know it is! Why is he wearing a skirt?" I looked at Joey and said, "What difference does it make? That's just what's on the outside. Isn't what's on the inside of a person way more important?" And the teen volunteer chimed in, "Yeah! This is 2016 after all!!" She and I agreed that Jaden Smith (son of actor Will Smith) ROCKS the whole "wear whatever makes you happy" thing. Joey wasn't able to get reaction of outrage from the teen and I. Instead we showed him how to accept what we see on the outside of a person and value what's on the inside.

EYE CONTACT AND SMILES
One other thing I am doing in my everyday life is to share eye contact and a smile with everyone I meet -- parents dropping their kids off for summer lunch, folks on the sidewalk at the farmers' market, exercisers walking on the path in the park, and workers cleaning the restrooms in the health club or bagging my groceries. It is my hope that this one small gesture communicates that the other person has been seen and valued, and begins to build a web of human connections one smile at a time.

Monday, July 11, 2016

I'm not a mystery reader. Never have been, probably never will be. When a student gave me this book (and the next two on CD) for an end-of-year present, my first impulse was to take the gift receipts and run for B/N to make an exchange. But I gave myself a stern talking-to about reading outside my comfort zone, and I read this book, including whole sections aloud to AJ as we guffawed over the bad writing. I was going to listen to the two CDs on the way to and from the Choice Literacy writing retreat, but I decided I better have more literary writing in my brain before I wrote for 2 days!

The Goodreads blurb describes this book as "...an epic, multigenerational saga of power, blood, and land that follows the rise of one unforgettable Texas family from the Comanche raids of the 1800s to the border raids of the early 1900s to the oil booms of the 20th century." I listened to it two summers ago, and for the life of me, I can't remember why I only gave it two stars! I liked it well enough to suggest it to my book club, and when I ran out of printed books while at Mom's, I found it in my Kindle archives (maybe it was a Kindle Daily Deal?). Re-reading it with my eyes rather than my ears has been a fabulous experiences. I can flip forward and back, double check the family tree, look up interesting words, and focus most of my attention on the storyline of Eli, in my opinion, the most compelling character. I'm not quite finished with it, and I love having book amnesia -- I remember there's a surprise at the ending, but not exactly what!

Ok, I lied. I like SOME mysteries. Maybe not mystery SERIES. This book combines fascinating settings -- insane asylums in Boston and Ohio in the late 1800's -- with a doctor who is pioneering the science of criminal profiling. The main character, Grace, becomes his assistant from within the safety of the asylum. The myriad reasons people (women especially) were committed as insane is thought-provoking and disturbing.

This book is a fascinating combination of fantasy and grim reality. Yes, there is a wish-granting fish and the main character Charlie makes every possible blunder of wishing known to the genre. But things get serious when her big sister is institutionalized for heroin addiction. This is an important book that shows how addiction impacts an entire family and is a lifelong struggle, not something with an easy recovery.

Here's another book with a light-hearted tone, but a serious message. This is a book about how hard it is to be different. It is a book about bullying. Joe has learning challenges and spends time each day in the resource center. Ravi has just moved to the US from India and no one can understand his "perfect" English. Dillon is a kleptomaniac bully who preys on the weaknesses of others. Luckily, by the end of the book, Joe and Ravi realize that they make a perfect team...and they put Dillon in his place! I love how the book is written in both Joe and Ravi's points of view, and the dual glossary at the end of the book.

Saturday, July 09, 2016

The events of the past several weeks have been heartbreaking and overwhelming. My social media feeds are filled with posts and readings and messages hoping for change. It is easy to become overwhelmed and paralyzed but I think many of us feel like we have to act in some way. When I read this piece on victim Philander Castile, I was struck by the impact his death will have on hundreds of young children. After the Orlando shootings I became more aware of the bullying and suicide rates of our LGBT students. Our kids deserve better. So I have been thinking about how I will act, what my role can be in changing things that are unjust. This is what I have come up with so far.

I Will Study

I think something I've been committed to over the last year has been to truly study and learn all I can about these issues. I have realized it takes time because so much of this is unlearning what we thought we knew. I am finding that I need to read widely and often. That there is so much to understand about all of these issues and I am embarrassingly uneducated in many of them. I don't have to agree with or understand everything I read but I have to expand what I read and be open to changing my thinking. I can no longer ignore the things that go against my current understanding and read only the things that match my current understanding of what it means to be white/black in America. So committing to learning and being open about what is true is critical.

If I believe in justice, I believe in justice for everybody. Which means I have to expand my knowledge in many areas. Following the Orlando shootings, I did a great deal of reading trying to understand the challenges faced by our LGBT communities--challenges I was previously less aware of than I could have been. The focus this week has been on race and police brutality and in some circles there has been a line drawn that this is an either/or conversation. I don't see it that way. This week has helped me realize that as a white woman, I have a lot learn about race and discrimination. So, I have read a great deal over the last few days and I am thankful for friends and colleagues who are sharing things they feel are important to read. Some things that have helped me to understand the issues and to relearn some things I thought to be true are (in no particular order):

I Will Learn More About What I Can Do As an Educator

As the mother of a Hispanic daughter, I have read a lot in the past decade about discrimination, race, multiracial families, identity, etc. This understanding, of course, impacts my role as an educator. But I want to commit to thinking more about the specifics of how I can act to help create change in my role.

My friend Patty stated on Facebook, "Do I know what MY action will be? No. Not yet. But I do know that action speaks louder and clearer than words." I agree with Patty and I know that reading and sharing information alone will not create change. So I need to think about my role in all of this as a teacher and as a human being. These are things that have been shared and I've read this week to help me begin to think about this.

I Will Commit to Ongoing Reflection and to

Being a Strong Voice For Justice

So what can I do? I have been thinking about the first steps in my action plan. And even though I have been committed to diversity and justice for as long as I can remember, I know I can do more. So here are a few things I plan to DO.

I have been more focused on auditing our classroom library as well as the books I share with students. This year I realized that I needed to read a bigger diversity of books and I needed to be intentional about sharing a larger variety of books with students. I realize I am limited in my own reading and am working to expand that in terms of the authors I read and the issues I read about (both fiction and nonfiction). This will be an ongoing process for me.

Teaching Tolerance is a site I have been getting to know better. It is filled with resources for teacher understanding and for the classroom.

These are the sites I have spent the most time on but there are professional books and other sites that I know I need to get to.

2. Audit my Own Language with Students and Colleagues
When I read Choice Words by Peter Johnston years ago, it helped me understand the power of my language with children. I have reread and revisited this book every year since, often with a particular focus. One year I paid close attention to my language with my 2 most struggling students. I was shocked to realize that I often fell back on non-empowering language with them. Auditing my own lagnague as it relates to bias, stereotypes, expectations, and identity is a commitment I have made to myself as I go into a new school year.

3. Be Aware of All Assumptions I Make About Children, Families, Colleagues and Communities

We all make assumptions, whether positive or negative. Being aware of the assumptions I make and how that impacts my relationships and teaching is another thing I am committed to. I want to be open to an awareness of my own biases in and out of the classroom. I think there is language embedded in any community that is based on assumptions and I want to be aware of that language so I can work to change it.

4. Resist the Temptation to Get Defensive

The more I read, the more I understand that we all have biases. Getting defensive when challenged in conversations never helps move the conversation forward. Conversations around race are often filled with emotion and it is easy to get defensive. When our own biases are brought to light or our beliefs are questioned, conversations can become difficult. Resisting that temptation will help me to grow in my own understandings and also help us expand and move the conversation.

We Are ALSO Proud Members of the Nerdy Book Club

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About Us

Franki and Mary Lee are both teachers, and have been for more than 20 years.

Franki is a fifth grade teacher. She is the author of Beyond Leveled Books (Stenhouse), Still Learning to Read (Stenhouse), Day-to-Day Assessment in the Reading Workshop (Scholastic) and The Joy of Planning (Choice Literacy). She is also a regular contributor to Choice Literacy.

Mary Lee is a fifth grade teacher. She is the author of Reconsidering Read-Aloud (Stenhouse) and has poems in the Poetry Friday Anthology, the Poetry Friday Anthology for Middle School, the Poetry Friday Anthology for Science, the Poetry Friday Anthology for Celebrations (Pomelo Books), Dear Tomato: An International Crop of Food and Agriculture Poems, National Geographic Books of Nature Poems, and The Best of Today's Little Ditty (2014-15 and 2016).